Arc lamp carbon mechanism



Feb; 10, 1953 N, BATSE 2,628,324

ARC LAMP CARBON MECHANISM Filed April 27, 1950 "1'1Illll'llllllllll .lllllllllll INVENTOR. EE-EIL N. BA'ISEL WMM Arroxwfy Patented Feb. 10, 1953 ARC LAMP CARBON MECHANISM Cecil N. Batsel, Santa Monica, Calif., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application April 27 1950, Serial No. 158,418

8 Claims.

This invention relates to light generating devices, and particularly to a carbon arc lamp for obtaining high light intensities.

In the use of carbons for generating light, it is Well-known that the ends of the carbons are brought adjacent one another and electrical current passed between them, so as to form a high temperature crater at the tip of the positive carbon. As the carbons are consumed, they are continuously advanced toward one another at the same rate that they are consumed, so that the tips remain the same distance from each other. Since the character of the light depends upon a uniform crater at the end of the positive carbon, it has been found desirable to continuously rotate this carbon during operation, which maintains the crater uniform as the carbon is consumed.

The present invention is directed to an attachment for present operating arc lamps, or it may be embodied in new arc lamp constructions. Rotation of the arc is accomplished by attaching a sprocket wheel or gear to the chuck holding the positive carbon and driving it from the screw which advances the carbon. In this manner, the same drive for advancing the carbon is utilized to provide a unitary mechanism which requires very little space in addition to that necessary for the advancing mechanism.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple and improved drive for rotating an arc lamp carbon during the advancement thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arc lamp carbon feeding mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved drive between the feed screw of an arc lamp carbon advancing mechanism and the chuck for holding the carbon.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the appended claims, the manner of its organization and the mode of its operation will be better understood by referring to the following description, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side, elevational View, partly in crosssection, showing a chain and sprocket modification of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an end, elevational view, taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a side, elevational view showing a gear modification of the drive shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Referring now to the drawings, in which the same numerals identify like elements, a negative carbon 5 is shown supported by a bracket arm E, and is advanced in any well-known manner by mechanism not shown. The positive carbon 7| is heid in a chuck 3 with a knurled tightening ring 9. The carbon passes through an opening in the carbon guide at the upper end of an electrical terminal bracket l having a contact brush |2 therein, by which current is conducted to the carbon. A light reflector is shown at M.

The chuck 8 is rotatable in the upper end of bracket l5, which forms a bearing It for the ro tating chuck. The lower end of the bracket !5 has a cross bar Hi, the ends of which are mounted on and slidable along rods l9 and 2%), which support the bracket, chuck, and carbon rotating mechanism. The center of the bracket |8 has an opening 22 therein, through which passes a feed screw 2|, one end of which is rotatable in the lower end of bracket The other end of the screw is also mounted in a bearing and driven by a suitable motor, not shown. A threaded segment 23 engages the threads of the screw 2|, so that, upon rotation of the screw, the bracket I5 is moved to the left. The carbon "3 is thus longitudinally advanced through the carbon guide at the upper end of bracket l as it is consumed. However, if the carbon 1 remains fixed rotationally, the crater formed thereon is at an angle to the axis of the carbon and prevents it from providing a uniform light at maximum intensity. By the addition of the invention, the carbon l is rotated simultaneously with its advancement, so that the crater is uniform at all times.

The rotating mechan sm includes a sprocket wheel 25 keyed by a key 25 to an extension 2'! of the chuck 8. Rotatably mounted on an extension 29 of the bracket l5 and held thereon by a collar 35, is another sprocket wheel 30. A pair of angle arms or dogs SI and 32 have one end of each attached to the sprocket Si] and their other ends in a pair of longitudinal grooves or slots 33 and 3c in the screw 2|. Thus, the sprocket as is rotated as the screw 2| rotates the dogs 3| and 32 sliding along in the slots 33 and 34. The two sprocket wheels are connected by a chain 35, so that, as the sprocket 2| rotates, rotation is imparted to the carbon 1.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3, the clutch extension 2'! has mounted thereon a beveled gear 37 instead of the sprocket 25. Also, instead of sprocket so, a beveled gear 38 is rotatably mounted on the extension 29 of the bracket l5. The gear 38 is rotated on the extension 28 by angle arms or dogs 35 and 46 having one end of each attached to the gear, and the other ends in grooves 33 and 34. The bracket 15 has an upper horizontally extending arm 40 and. a similar lower arm 4!, which support a vertical shaft 42 having beveled gears 43 and 44 at the ends thereof. Thus, as the screw 2| rotates, the gear 38 will rotate, imparting rotation through the gear train i|-433l to the positive carbon 1. Thus, in both modifications, the carbon is continuously advanced to the left and simultaneously rotated to insure a uniform and symmetrical are at the end of the carbon.

I claim:

1. An arc lamp carbon control, comprising a rotatable chuck for holding a carbon, a bearing mount for said chuck, a screw feed mechanism for moving said mount, chuck, and carbon longitudinally, said mechanism including a bracket for supporting said bearing mount, a feedscrew passing through an enlarged opening'in one end of said bracket, a threaded extension from said one end of said bracket in threaded contact with said screw, a bearing extension on said one end of said bracket and oppositely disposed from said threaded extension, and drive connections between said screw and chuck for continuously rotating said chuck and carbon as said carbon is moved longitudinally, said drive connections including a rotatable drive element mounted on said bracket bearing extension and driven by said screw.

2. An arc lamp carbon control, comprising a rotatable chuck for holding a carbon, 2, bearing mount for said chuck, a screw feed mechanism for moving said mount, chuck, and carbon longitudinally, and drive connections to said mechanismfor rotating said chuck and carbon as said carbon is moved longitudinally, said mechanism including a rotatable threaded screw, supporting means for said mount slidable on said screw, said supporting means having a portion threaded on said screw and said drive connections incl-uding chain and sprockets on said supporting means, one of said sprockets being rotated by said screw, and another of said sprockets rotating said chuck.

3. An arc lamp carbon control, comprising a rotatable chuck for holding a carbon, a bearing mount for said chuck, a screw feed mechanism for moving said mount, chuck, and carbon longitudinally, and drive connections to said mechanism for rotating said chuck and carbon as said carbon is moved longitudinally, said mechanism including a threaded screw, supporting means for said mount slidable on said screw, and said drive connections including a beveled gear drive for said carbon, one of said gears being rotated by said screw, and a driven gear rotating said chuck.

4. An arc lamp carbon control, comprising a rotatable chuck for holding a carbon, a bearing mount for said chuck, a screw feed mechanism for moving said mount, chuck, and carbon longitudinally, said mechanism including a bracket for supporting said bearing mount, said bracket having a screw of said mechanism passing through an enlarged openin in said bracket and one extension therefrom in threaded contact with said screw. and another bearing extension therefrom, drive connections to said mechanism for continuously rotating said chuck and carbon as said carbon is moved longitudinally, said drive connections including a rotatable drive element mounted on said bracket bearing extension and driven by said screw, said screw being longitudinally slotted and said drive element concentrically positioned with respect to said screw, and dogs attached to said element and slidable along said slots.

5. A mechanism for longitudinally advancing an are forming carbon and simultaneously rotating said carbon, comprising a rotating screw, a mount through which said screw passes, said mount having a threaded segment extending from one side of one end thereof and in contact with the threads of said screw for moving said mount longitudinally of said carbon and an external bearing surface extending from the other side of said one end, said mount having an internal bearing surface at the other end thereof, a carbon holding chuck rotatable within said internal bearing surface, and a rotatable driving element mounted on said external bearing surface of said mount rotatable by said screw for continuously rotating said chuck as said screw rotates for advancing said carbon.

6. A mechanism for longitudinally advancing an are forming carbon and simultaneously rotating said carbon, comprising a rotatable screw, a mount through which said screw passes, said mount having a threaded segment extending from one side of one end thereof and in contact with the threads of said screw for moving said mount longitudinally of said carbon and an external bearing surface extending from the other side of said one end, said mount having an internal bearing surface at the other end thereof, a carbon holding chuck rotatable within said internal bearing surface, a rotatable driving element mounted on said external bearing surface of said mount rotatable by said screw for continuously rotating said chuck as said screw rotates for advancing said carbon, said rotatable element being a sprocket coaxial of said screw and a second sprocket mounted coaxially on said chuck, and a chain between said sprockets being provided for rotating said chuck within said internal bearing surface.

7. A mechanism in accordance with claim 5, in which said rotatable element is a gear coaxial of said screw and a second gear mounted coaxially on said chuck, and a drive shaft interconnecting said gears being provided for rotating said chuck within said internal bearing surface.

8. A mechanism for longitudinally advancing an are forming carbon and simultaneously rotating' said carbon, comprising a rotatable screw, a mount through which said screw passes, said mount having a threaded segment extending from one side of one end thereof and in contact with the threads of said screw for moving said mount longitudinally of said carbon and an external bearing surface extending from the other side of said one end, said mount having an internal bearing surface at the other end thereof, a carbon holding chuck rotatable within said internal bearing surface, a rotatable driving element mounted on said external bearing surface of said mount rotatable by said screw for continuously rotating said chuck as said screw rotates for advancing said carbon, said screw having at least one longitudinal slot therein and said rotatable driving element being mounted coaxially of said screw and at least one dog having one end attached to said element and the other end slidable in said slot is provided.

CECIL N. BATSEL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 613,851 Bryan Nov. 8, 1898 631,770 Bailey Aug. 29, 1899 1,101,685 Crellin June 30, 1914 1,521,361 Davis Dec, 30, 1924 1,677,521 Hall July 17, 1928 1,679,718 Hall Aug. '7, 1928 1,684,817 Bassett Sept. 18, 1928 2,085,536 Liebel et a1 June 29, 1937 

